Year
Founded 2001Duration
23 years countingCost
NALocation
Project achievements
Solved the problem
Driving systems change to unlock untapped potential within engineering
Used engineering skill
Upskilling over 100,000 people to enable globally responsible engineering
Connected communities
Reaching thousands of students worldwide every year through engineering challenges
Placing global responsibility at the heart of engineering
Engineers Without Borders UK was founded in 2001 by students at the University of Cambridge.
They were inspired by the global Engineers Without Borders movement.
The organisation became a registered charity in 2004, initially focused on providing pro-bono engineering support worldwide.
This work increased access to clean water, sanitation, energy, and resilient infrastructure.
In 2011, the award-winning Engineering for People Design Challenge launched, embedding globally responsible engineering principles into education.
A major shift came in 2019 when Engineers Without Borders UK moved away from international placements to focus on systemic change.
It now seeks to leverage influence, education, and partnerships to reshape how engineering is taught and practised.
The 2021-2030 strategy sets out a vision to make global responsibility a core part of engineering, ensuring a safe and just future for all.
Today, the organisation continues to grow, working towards the tipping point where all engineers embed social and environmental responsibility in their work.
Over 20 years, we have inspired tens of thousands of people to put global responsibility at the heart of engineering practice.
Our programmes have shown what can be achieved, and we are as determined as ever to ensure that engineering plays the fullest possible role in meeting the needs of people and planet.
Chief executive, John Kraus, on celebrating 20 years of impact
Did you know …
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76% of UK engineering companies with a sustainability strategy do not have staff with the skills to fulfil it, according to the IET’s Sustainability Skills survey (2023).
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The risk of not meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals is real. As explored in UNESCO’s Engineering for Sustainable Development Report, engineering has a powerful, unique and important role to address our global challenges.
Difference the charity has made
EWB UK has been working on sustainable development goals across the world since its foundation in 2001.
An EWB UK project in Malaysian Borneo worked with local partners to bring electricity to off-grid communities.
Another saw volunteers working in Playa Blanca – a fishing village in northern Peru – where EWB engineers helped install small household wind turbines to generate electricity.
In India, EWB UK volunteers worked with manufacturing and research company Prakti to develop a cleaner, safer and more efficient cooking stove for people without access to electricity.
Since EWB UK shifted away from international placements in 2019, it has been making a difference by leading efforts towards systemic change.
It's helping to transform engineering education through its Engineering for People Design Challenge and its Reimagined Degree Map.
And, it works with employers to encourage the industry to put global responsibility at heart. For instance, through its competency compass.
How to get involved
Whether you're a student, professional, educator or organisation, there are many ways to be part of the change that EWB UK is working towards.
People who made it happen
John Kraus is the chief executive of Engineers Without Borders UK.
Some ICE members involved with EWB UK include:
